Tyler gives an exaggerated wink to the audience as he comments, “Geez, put the epic practical joker in the monkey suit and suddenly he gets all serious. What’s up with that?”
Aidan shrugs. “Just wait. You’ll see. The pressure for it to go perfectly is more than you might think.”
Justice Gardner chuckles as he says, “Anyway, as I was saying; You, Aidan and you, Tara, have come to me signifying your desire to be formally united in marriage. If there are no legal, moral, or religious barriers that hinder this proper union, please join your hands and carefully consider these questions.”
Aidan and Tara position themselves so that they are linked by their right index fingers. The smile that Aidan gives Tara is heartbreakingly tender. She reaches up and tucks a lock of his long wild rock-star hair behind his ear.
I’m startled when Tyler leans forward and whispers into my ear “I can’t wait until this is us.”
I have to fight to keep my expression neutral. This is not the place for me to spill my beans. “I know, me either.” I try really hard to focus on the rest of the ceremony, but, I am acutely aware of Tyler’s presence behind me.
Aidan and Tara are holding hands they are standing so close to each other, it’s almost as if their foreheads are touching. “Aidan, I love you so much.” Tara signs discreetly. Aidan makes the sign for the same.
Justice Gardner clears his throat softly because it’s obvious that he’s interrupting a private conversation even though it’s perfectly silent. Tara and Aidan look embarrassed to be caught in such an intimate moment. But, all of us that have spent any time around them at all are quite used to this experience and a light laugh travels throughout the audience.
The judge gives Aidan a good-natured pat on the shoulder and remarks, “That’s all right son, I understand. My wife still affects me the same way. Shall we continue?”
Aidan nods. “Yes, sir—I mean William.”
“Very well,” Justice Gardner continues, “Aidan, in taking the woman whom you hold by the right hand to be your lawful and wedded wife, do you promise to love and cherish her, to honor and sustain her, in sickness as in health, in poverty as in wealth, and to be true to her in all things until death parts you?"
Justice Gardner looks solemnly at Aidan.
“Is this your promise?"
Aidan answers by both speaking and signing, “Yes, I promise.”
Tara wipes a tear from her eye before turning back toward Justice Gardner. He smiles gently at her before continuing.
“Tara, in taking the man whom you hold by the right hand to be your lawful and wedded husband, do you promise to love and cherish him, to honor and sustain him, in sickness as in health, in poverty as in wealth, and to be true to him in all things until death parts you?"
I can see that Tara has a death grip on Aidan’s hands as Justice Gardner presents the vow, “Is this your promise?"
“Yes, I gladly promise,” she answers and a steady voice as she simultaneously signs.
Tara and Aidan have elected to exchange rings today and have written their own sentiments that they will share with you.
Justice Gardner holds out the ring to Aidan. For the first time, I noticed that his hands are shaking as he starts to speak in a clear, deep voice.
“Tara, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love and cloaked in my strength.”
As Tara looks down at the ring that he’s placing on her finger, her eyes widen with shock. “You added to it!”, she exclaims as she studies the white gold band engraved with music notes that match the stylized notes in Aidan’s tattoo.
The corner of Aidan’s mouth hitches up in amusement as he replies, “Yeah, I get to do fun stuff like that now because someone I love helps make me a hugely successful pop star. It’s funny how that works.” Despite his unsteady hands, Aidan slides the ring on Tara’s finger with ease.
Justice Gardner just shakes his head as he remarks, “You kids have some of the most unusual ceremonies I’ve ever been involved in.”
Tara looks chastised as she snaps back to attention and recites her portion of the rings ceremony.
“I will wear it gladly. Whenever I look at it, I will remember this blessed day and the vows we've made.”
Tara takes Aidan’s ring from Justice Gardner and places it on Aidan’s finger as she repeats the vow. “Aidan, I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. As it encircles your finger, may it remind you always that you are surrounded by my enduring love and cloaked in my strength.”
Aidan examines it closely. “Looks like I’m not the only person who had a few surprises up my sleeve,” he signs.
At this point, Justice Gardener starts impatiently tapping his toe for comedic effect.
Aidan looks around as if shocked “Oh, that’s right. I’m not quite done yet.”
Mindy just rolls her eyes. “Grown-ups are weird.”
Tara just laughs. “I won’t argue with that. But, we’ll be serious now. Aidan, hurry up and finish so that we can get to the good part.”
Aidan looks at Tara with feigned innocence. “You mean the kiss? I’ve been looking forward to that part all day too.”
Tara grins as she shakes her head. “No, I was actually referring to the cake Heather made. I’m absolutely starving.”
The entire audience erupts with laughter as Justice Gardner rolls his eyes and quips, “Perhaps I should’ve been clearer about my role as officiant.” He turns to Aidan and asks, “Are you planning to finish those vows sometime today before your wife passes out from hunger?”
Aidan looks down at Tara and tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear as he replies, “Tara, I will wear this ring gladly. Whenever I look at it, I will remember this blessed day and the vows we've made.”
Justice Gardner gently turns them around so that they are facing the crowd and announces, “Ladies and gentlemen, by the power vested in me by the state of Oregon, I happily pronounce that Aidan O’Brien and Tara Isamu are now husband and wife. I am pleased to present to you— finally— Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien. Aidan, you may now kiss your lovely bride.”
Aidan very gently lifts the veil from Tara’s face and kisses her tenderly as if he’s been waiting a lifetime for that moment. I suppose in a way, he probably has been. Knowing all that both of them have overcome to get to this moment, it is a profound moment to watch. I am completely caught up in the emotion of it all. I barely even notice when Ty gently wipes away the tears that are freely falling down my face. “It’s okay Gidget,” he soothes. “It won’t be long until we have our own fairytale ending.” He tucks my hand around his forearm as he carefully escorts me out of the ceremony.
“They’re not planning to ditch us already, are they?” I ask as I watch Aidan and Tara get into a limousine right after they walked down the aisle.
“No, they’re just going to go do a private tea ceremony to honor Tara’s parents before we start taking pictures and the reception starts to rock. They figured that if they took off right after the ceremony, it would fool the paparazzi. No one would expect them to cut out of their own reception. Besides, one of Tara’s dance students is playing her double right now. I thought that was pretty clever. Hopefully, the press will stay in the dark. Tara tried to tell me how crazy their life has gotten, but I had absolutely no idea until we tried to do something as simple as go bra shopping the other day. It was insane.”
“I have to admit, I’m a little jealous of them right now though. During the whole ceremony, I couldn’t help but wish it was us standing there. I know that sounds bizarre, especially considering my mindset when we first met. But, I feel like I’m running out of time with you,” I confess as I thread my arm around her waist.
Heather walks me back to the pantry area in the kitchen. I smile at her choice of locations. Somehow, this doesn’t surprise me. Although Heather can be very social when she wants to be. This is where she feels most at home. She spots a couple o
f metal stools stacked in the corner and pulls them down. I think she’s forgotten that she’s wearing stilettos and an elegant bridesmaid’s dress. I help her up onto the stool and try not to be distracted as she crosses her shapely legs.
When she looks at me, her composed expression is completely absent and her eyes are filled with fear. “I’m sorry Tyler, I know you probably don’t want to talk about this here, but I can’t wait any longer. What did your commander say?”
I scrub my hand over my face and untie my bowtie. I’ve broken this news to people I’ve loved before, but it’s never been this hard. I swallow hard and take a deep breath. I’m ninety-nine-point-nine-percent sure history is not going to repeat itself. This time, Heather already has a ring on her finger and she seems like she loves me for the person I am rather than the status I can bring her, but being a military spouse is not an easy road to take. She may decide I’m not worth it once all the cards are on the table.
As I pause to gather my thoughts, I notice she’s become even paler. She trembles slightly as she says, “Oh my God, it’s so bad you can’t even tell me, right?”
“Crap, I didn’t mean to totally freak you out. It’s just that I love you so much that this is harder than I expected.” I lean over and kiss her forehead.
“Are you breaking up with me?” she asks, panic edging her voice.
“No! Oh hell no! I’m just trying to tell you that they are sending me back to Iraq.” I try to reassure her.
“When?” she whispers harshly.
“I have to report to base in two days.”
“For how long?”
“Gidget, I can’t tell you that. It’s classified,” I reply sadly.
“Are you going to be fighting on the front lines? Could you be kidnapped by ISIS?” she demands, worry creasing her brow.
“Heather, I can’t tell you any of that. I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have even told you which sandbox we were going to go play in. It’s for your safety as well as mine. I have such a high level of security clearance because I’m responsible for mission planning. If you knew what was happening, people could use you to get to me. So, family members in my unit need to be totally kept in the dark. That’s part of what makes what I do so hard. It’s very isolating.”
Heather is very quiet for about two minutes. I feel like my heart is about ready to beat out of my chest by the time she speaks again. “Tyler, pay attention for a moment. On a scale of 1 to 10, when you said that you wished that it was you and I that were getting married today, how serious were you about that?”
The sense of relief I feel wash over me is palpable. It’s an odd question, but one that I can easily answer. “I’ll answer you like I used to answer my mom when I was a kid. Eleven-dy-fifty-five-thousand-billion. Is that high enough for you?”
“Yes, I suppose it is.” she answers with a big smile. “So, what if I told you we can get married today?”
I’m sure that my eyes spring wide like a mechanical toy at her surprise announcement. “How? Oregon has a waiting period and I know we haven’t gone down to go get our marriage license yet.”
“Well, it turns out we have some friends that are well-versed in the law who know all about the exceptions and waivers. It seems that we have good cause for a waiver of the waiting period. The clerk of the county happens to be a guest at today’s wedding and has agreed to issue us both a marriage certificate and a waiver given our unique circumstances. So, Tyler Joseph Colton—I have one question for you: Would you like to marry me today?”
I expected many things to happen today, but this was not one of them. Then again, my time with Heather has taught me to expect the unexpected. I stand up and walk over to her. I leisurely kiss her and then reply, “Heather Lydia LaBianca I would be thrilled to marry you today or any other day. This is perfect.”
Heather slumps a little on the stool. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought you might be upset with me for being too pushy.”
I chuckle. “You should know me better than that by now. One of my favorite things about you is your ability to know your own mind and to get things done. This is a perfect example of why you’re going to make a perfect military wife. While I hemmed and hawed about the logistics of it all and worried myself stupid about how I was going to shelter you while I was gone, you definitively figured out how to solve the problem. I already know who’s gonna be the brains in this operation—and it’s not going to be me most of the time.”
A strange expression crosses Heather’s face as she admits, “I really wish I could take credit for this one. But, you can chalk this one up to the brilliance of Mindy Mouse. That girl is scary bright. She can give Tara a run for her money in the spooky department.”
“Well, whoever came up with the idea, I’m extremely grateful. It takes a load off my mind and I’ll be able to focus on the mission now. In the end it will make it safer for everyone.”
Heather shakes her head in disbelief. “Wow!” She exclaims. “I don’t know how Mindy was able to understand that that’s exactly how you would feel, but she told me almost word for word that’s what you would say.”
“I don’t claim to understand that little girl. I just know that I’m blessed to know her. I’d like her to be part of our ceremony even if she’s not old enough to be one of the witnesses, okay?”
Heather places her arms around my waist and rests her cheek on my chest and nods. “I’m totally on board with that plan because we wouldn’t be here without her help,” she mumbles as she hugs me.
“What do we do now, my bride? Do you have special clothes we need to change into or something?”
She giggles. “Would you believe that I don’t? Me, ‘The Queen of Fashion’ does not have a backup outfit for this occasion. So, we’re going to collect your parents and Jeff, Kiera and Mindy and go meet Justice Gardner in the pool room. We’re going to go try to get married before I have to serve hors d’oeuvres and cake.”
“That sounds like a plan to me. So, does this mean that I don’t get to marry you in my dress uniform?” I tease.
“Cowboy, you know me better than that. Do I look like I’m gonna let you off the hook quite that easily? I don’t think so. When you get back from wherever the hell you’re going, we’re going to throw the biggest party you’ve ever seen. There’ll be so much lace and tulle that you won’t even recognize me. It’ll look like a scene from Gone with the Wind. If you think there is a lot of food at this wedding, it’ll be nothing compared to ours.”
“Gidget, that sounds wonderful. I’ll paint pictures in my head of how you look in your gown and the many creative ways I’ll get you out of it. Those visions will help sustain my morale when I’m over in the hellhole. If you’re feeling generous, you can send me pictures of your gorgeous body to drool over.”
I watch with fascination as color travels over the tops of her breasts through her face to the roots of her hair. “I don’t know if I am the boudoir photo gallery kind of gal, Cowboy.”
“I’ve seen your delectable body, remember? I can say without hesitation you are definitely pinup material. In fact, I think pictures of you would be the perfect wedding gift.”
Heather’s bottom lip slides out in a perfect little pout, “Really? I was thinking more along the lines of some really cool kitchen gear.”
I snicker. “Wow! You and my mom really are two peas in a pod. That’s an answer my mom would have given in a heartbeat. Speaking of my parents, do they have any idea I’m getting married today?”
Heather shakes her head and grins. “Nope! No one except you, me, Justice Gardner and the clerk know. Well, I guess that’s not technically true. Mindy knows. But, then again Mindy knew about this plan weeks ago when she tried to tell us that we were going to get married on the same day that Tara and Aidan got married. Remember that conversation? We were silly enough to argue with her. I’m not sure why I even bother to second-guess either one of them. I should know better by now. It’s like having my own paranormal team at my beck and call.”
&
nbsp; “Do you ever get used to it? Isn’t it really strange having people in your life that know what’s going to happen before it really does?” I ask, genuinely curious and a little creeped out.
“It’s a little weird. But I’m used to it by now. Tara is really careful about what she shares with me so it doesn’t become overwhelming. She is not obnoxious about it. She hates it when people ask her to use her abilities like it’s a party trick. We don’t even talk about her abilities all that much. Most of the time I completely forget about them until something strange or scary happens. The depth of Mindy’s abilities has come as a really big surprise though.”
“I wonder how my parents are going to react to all of this.” I ponder.
“I think your mom will be pretty cool with it. She seems pretty open-minded. If Mindy and Tara can provide any information that would help keep you safe, your dad would be all over that in a New York minute, so I think he’ll be fine with it too. I’m not so sure how they’ll feel about you getting married today. If I was your mom, I think I’d feel a little panicked. I think that moms want more time to prepare for this kind of stuff.”
“My mom thinks you’re the bees’ knees. She’s gonna be totally okay with the fact that you’re going to be my wife. My dad already thinks that I’m a blooming idiot for taking so long to ask you out, so I think he’ll be totally fine with us heading to the altar. He probably thinks if I wait around too long you’ll come to your senses and run away. He doesn’t have much faith in my ability to hold onto a woman on my own.”
“I think we should probably go tell everyone,” she suggests as she grabs my hand. She does a funny little skip and hop as she says, “I can’t believe I’m actually going to get married today!”
I stop dead in my tracks as a sobering thought occurs to me.
“What’s wrong?” Heather asks, alarmed.
Joy and Tiers Page 27